Meet Josiah David Jolicoeur.

This little guy made his way into the world Friday via c-section at 12:19 pm. He was 7 lbs 3 oz and 21 inches long.

My contractions began at 3:30 am and we made it to the hospital around 5:30 am. I was unable to have a VBAC because his heart rate dropped as labor progressed. (This same thing happened with our 2nd child, Gideon…it was like deja vu.) Turns out the cord was around Josiah’s neck as well as his abdomen. Apparently my kids have long umbilical cords.

I cried as they wheeled me down to the operating room. It may sound silly, but having another c-section was the last thing I wanted to do. I began to relive the fear that surrounded Gideon’s birth.  My husband prayed over me as they pulled Josiah from distress.

When Kevin finished praying, we heard something beautiful… Josiah’s cry. It was strong and loud. As Kevin went over to the baby table, I heard him asking a thousand questions. Does he have an abnormally large fontanel? Does he have a deep sacral dimple? Are his feet turned in? Does he look unusual to you guys?…

These are just some of the abnormalities that Josiah’s big brother Gideon had at birth. They were the oddities that led us down a dark path, searching for answers as to what was wrong with our sweet Gideon.

As far as we can tell, Josiah has none of those abnormalities!! However, it will still be several weeks for that test to be confirmed. For now, Josiah appears to be healthy, alert and strong. In fact, after they stitched me up and took me to recovery, he latched on and nursed immediately!!

And of course, the whole family is in love with him.

Stay tuned… Josiah David Jolicoeur is sure to make our lives a bit more interesting.